Indications are that Barca will need to change their formation when playing at away.
In Camp Nou, the 4-4-3 formation has been the best thing as it has secured 100% victory for the Blaugrana. Outside Camp Nou, the pattern has been a disaster as it has lead to poor results. This development has given rise to suggestions that the playing pattern at home has to be different when Barca play outside Camp Nou. The first option is for the Catalan giants to adopt a 4-4-2 formation when playing away. This formation will imply one of the three srtikers in Messi, Henry and Ronaldinho being dropped to the midfield. There will be more confusion when star striker Samuel Eto'o returns from injury and also when Deco returns to fight for a place in the midfield.
Things are yet unclear as to what FC Barcelona will do in order to secure their away games, but top on the table is the change of formation. Indeed, a high point was reached over the weekend when Getafe humbled FC Barcelona 2-0 to call serious attention to Barca's away form, after the Catalan giants had been extremely brilliant playing both Real Betis and Glasgow rangers at home and winning with ease.
While warning on the dangers ahead for FC Barcelona should the dismal away records continue to hold, Valdes is hopeful things will change.
Valdes is in top form at the moment, but the unstable nature of the rest of the team has not helped showcase the keeper’s immense talents. Barca play well at home and are the exact opposite at away games. This worries everyone in the team and Valdes is very concerned that this trend must be checked and stopped if ever FC Barcelona will hope to have any chances of winning the title this season. Barca are tied on points with fourth placed Valencia. The goalkeeper, who is overdue for a Spanish national team call-up, laments over the disappointment against Getafe in which the Blaugrana went down 2-0 amid below average performance. Valdes fumes:
We’re giving away points away from home. Obviously, you can’t drop points at home if you want to win the league, but we have to examine our game in away matches to see what we’re doing right and where we could be better. There’s still time, there’s a long way to go and we can sort it out. It’s not a case of not having the desire because we go out onto every pitch to win, but the opposition set out their stalls very well in the game. They played with great intelligence and knew how to play against us. This makes it difficult for us to get results. We didn’t play as a team. I mean within the system. Our system is based on close lines and maximum pressure. This wasn’t the case against Getafe. We left too much space and in this sense we didn’t play as a team. The problem is a tactical one, a footballing one. Yesterday we gave too much space to quick players who hit us on the counter attack. Our system didn’t work.
Valdes remains optimistic that all will be well with Barca. The in-form keeper believes that the Blaugrana will bounce back into reckoning and sail above all other teams to clinch the La Liga title. Valdes concludes this by saying:
We’ve come through worse situations.
Barca, with 24 points, have slipped to third place in the Spanish La Liga table behind Real Madrid with 28 points and Villarreal with 27 points. Valencia are also tied with barca on 24 points, but are fourth due to inferior goal difference of +1 to Barca's +13.
Barca players try to solve the away game puzzle that has riddled the Barca super squad.
FC Barcelona players are not at all happy with their dismal performance against Getafe and a further disappointing away record. This trend is rapidly threatening the chances of the Blaugrana to lift the La Liga. Speaking after the match against Getafe, the players all expressed grave concern over the fate that had befallen them:
Gabi Milito:
We didn’t play a good game and this hurts. We had the chance to go top of the league before our main rivals play. The goals hurt us but we must have the ability to respond to these situations like all the best teams do. They were well organised. To be champions we must also win way from home and we’ll have to sort this out quickly.
Carles Puyol:
It’s not just the manager’s fault. The players are also responsible as we are the ones who have to play. We’re lacking in some things, especially away from home. I’m worried. After each game we say the same thing but two weeks later the same thing happens. We tried to play football but the opposition raised its game more than us and if we can’t raise our game we won’t win. They played more as a team. You can win or lose in football but we have to look at how we are losing, and that is what worries me. This can change with hard work. We have to speak about it amongst ourselves but it’s clear that we can’t go on like this. Every point is important. We’re the first to try and forget about what happened last season but what happens is that last year keeps coming back.
Gianluca Zambrotta:
We’re not playing well away from the Nou Camp. It’s difficult to explain. The team is finding it difficult to play away from home. We’re having a lot of problems this year in trying to impose our game. It’s not easy to find a solution. We have to be more aggressive and play with a better attitude.
Andrés Iniesta:
We had a couple of chances but when you don’t take them you make things difficult for yourself. When things aren’t working you have to look at them.
Getafe(4-4-2): Abbondanzieri, Cortes, Diaz, Mario, Licht, Pablo ( Granero, 70' ), Casquero, De La Red, Sousa ( Pallardo, 81' ), Uche, Manu ( Albin, 68' ) Manager: Michael Laudrup
Match Report:
FC Barcelona failed to take advantage and climb to the top of the La Liga table after having their best opportunity to do that against Getafe. The match commenced with quick passes and high expectations as the major highlight of the game was FC Barcelona's attempt to reverse their away game misfortunes and secure a victory against the lowly hosts in their backyard.
The first real chance of the game came to Pablo who sent a distant shot on target in the 17th minute. Seconds later, Nigerian striker, Ikechukwu Uche prodcuced the first real scare for Barca when he outwitted Gabriel Milito and released a shot which keeper Victor Valdes saved to prevent a goal for the home team.
Barca's responded five minutes later with their best chance of the game, when Henry latched onto a precise Iniesta through ball on 23 minutes, only for the keeper to stop his effort with his legs. Argentine defender, Milito also came close, running in from the defence to contest a corner, and then rising to nod the ball narrowly over the bar.
Barca were beginning to get the upper hand in the game, and held the ball for the next two minutes only to lose it through a foul, and what a costly loss it was. After rampaging Ikechukwu Uche was fouled around the Barca area, the resulting free-kick cut deep in, locating Cata Diaz who nodded down for Del Moral to bang in the ball for Getafe's first goal of the match in the 27th minute.
The goal unsettled Barca's game pattern as the visitors lost their rythm and confidence. Ronaldinho collided badly and fell, clutching his shin and was taken out for treatment. Getafe took advantage of the Brazilian's absence to launch an attack. Uche picked the ball up 25 yards from goal and back-heeled into the area where David Sousa ran forward only to see his shot pushed away for a corner by Valdés.
The first half ended 1-0 in favour of Getafe, and Barca went into the dressing room needing to work on their game and also on their psychology.
The second half commenced with signs that Barca had improved upon their psycology. After Thuram was replaced Zambrotta, Iniesta's low drive showed signs of an improved Blaugrana, but that wasn't to be. Barca fell back again into their dismal away form and Getafe took over the game. Ikechukwu Uche broke away from the right, as was becoming a common scene, and dashed toward the Barca goal post amid cheers from the home fans. The Nigerian's powerful shot flew over the far post and danger was averted.
This 63rd minute scare made Rijkaard rise from his seat to make changes. Giovani dos Santos came in for Ronaldinho and the game witnessed one more substitution from Barca when Boajn Krkic came in for Lionel Messi in the 74th minute. The two starlets tried to change the difficult game but were not able to. Getafe thus continued their roller-coaster ride. There was a lot of pressure on Barca and this produced the ugly side when Zambrotta fouled Getafe's Lucas Licht, earning the Italian defender a red card in the 86th minute.
Uche left his final mark on a disorganised Barca squad when he popped up again in the 90th minute to laid a great pass for Albin who controlled the ball and fired into the opponents net. Valdes had little chance of stopping the ball. FC Barcelona were down 2-0 and trailed off the rest of the match with that scoreline.
My Comments:
It's quite unfortunate that a club of high standing like FC Barcelona have to struggle with the lower-end teams to salvage even a point from all their away games. These sort of results will in no way help the cause of the Catalan giants to win the 2007/08 La Liga title. Not only will Real Madrid likely increase their lead to four points gap after their home game today, Villarreal may also race ahead of Barca and leave the Blaugrana sprawling as they slide further down the table.
Only time will tell if Barca really possess what it takes to be champions. A great away record is an unavoidable element in the quest to rise to the top of any championship.
In Camp Nou, the 4-4-3 formation has been the best thing as it has secured 100% victory for the Blaugrana. Outside Camp Nou, the pattern has been a disaster as it has lead to poor results. This development has given rise to suggestions that the playing pattern at home has to be different when Barca play outside Camp Nou. The first option is for the Catalan giants to adopt a 4-4-2 formation when playing away. This formation will imply one of the three srtikers in Messi, Henry and Ronaldinho being dropped to the midfield. There will be more confusion when star striker Samuel Eto'o returns from injury and also when Deco returns to fight for a place in the midfield.
Valdes is in top form at the moment, but the unstable nature of the rest of the team has not helped showcase the keeper’s immense talents. Barca play well at home and are the exact opposite at away games. This worries everyone in the team and Valdes is very concerned that this trend must be checked and stopped if ever FC Barcelona will hope to have any chances of winning the title this season. Barca are tied on points with fourth placed Valencia. The goalkeeper, who is overdue for a Spanish national team call-up, laments over the disappointment against Getafe in which the Blaugrana went down 2-0 amid below average performance. Valdes fumes:
We’re giving away points away from home. Obviously, you can’t drop points at home if you want to win the league, but we have to examine our game in away matches to see what we’re doing right and where we could be better. There’s still time, there’s a long way to go and we can sort it out. It’s not a case of not having the desire because we go out onto every pitch to win, but the opposition set out their stalls very well in the game. They played with great intelligence and knew how to play against us. This makes it difficult for us to get results. We didn’t play as a team. I mean within the system. Our system is based on close lines and maximum pressure. This wasn’t the case against Getafe. We left too much space and in this sense we didn’t play as a team. The problem is a tactical one, a footballing one. Yesterday we gave too much space to quick players who hit us on the counter attack. Our system didn’t work.